Dbq World War 1

the war. World war I, commonly called the great war, was a devastating 4 year tragedy that left Europe in shambles. Forewarning with the first and second Balkan wars that hardened the relationship between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, igniting with the assassination of Duke Ferdinand, and intensifying with the mobilization of Germany, all of Europe was plunged into the bloodshed within the summer of 1914. On the battlefield millions of lives were lost with trench warfare, flame throwers, and poisonous gas but the civilians of Europe suffered also. The effects of the great war at home include, New attitudes toward women working, A new outlook towards the war, and civilian unrest toward the government. Before 1914 women were considered the

¨the boys will be home by Christmas.¨ This is similar to the American civil war when both the north and south thought the war would be over within 6 weeks, but the conflict turned into a 4 year war with 620,000 deaths. Stefan Zweig, an Austrian writer, describes the reaction of the people in response of the war in Vienna he writes, ¨There were parades in the streets, flags, ribbons, music, burst from everywhere, young recruits were marching triumphantly, their faces lighting up at the cheering,¨(Document 2). This was the reactions most Europeans felt with war-time propaganda, romanticising the war and shaming able-bodied men who did not draft. Bertrand Russell says he was overcome with amazement at the, ¨average men and women who were delighted at the prospect of war,¨ (Document 3). This positive outlook was not kept for long and as the death rate piled up and nations were not able to feed their people, women growing accustomed to, ¨empty hands and still emptier stomachs,¨(Document 6). By 1916 the outlook had changed and many people did not glorify war but saw it as the devastating event it truly was. ¨Gone was the euphoria. Gone the Patriotic noise in the streets,¨ (Document 7), writes a German socialist Rosa Luxemburg who describes his town in which there was ¨misery and despair everywhere,¨ (Document 7). By 1916 the war had become unpopular and many were ready to be out of it

One man, Vladimir Lenin saw that Russia was spiraling downwards, having lost two battles in a row and having the highest death count out of all the European countries he saw that a change was needed. Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks who were a communist group that wanted to draw out of the war and over thrown Czar Nicholas II. Preaching peace, and food he wanted, ¨the offer of peace, the salvation of Petrograd, salvation from famine, and the transfer of land to the peasants who depended on them,¨ (Document 8). People were drawn into this and, ¨increasingly taken in by the propagandists of the united Socialist Party and their internationalis ideas,¨ (Document 9). This combined with high death rates, starvation, communist ideals started the overthrow of Russia and the end of the war.
When the war drew to a close in 1918, relief was felt on both the Allies and Entente side. Troops that were sent home with all limbs basically got their picks of the ladies, but even though they might have been physically well no one escaped the trenches with their mental health intact. When they arrived home they came to a different dynamic because women were now in a position of power and the overall feeling was that no one wanted to be in a war again. This was not realistic because with the 14 points by Wilson, Germany was left in shambles that paved